Mutually Assured Destruction
by kiritoandsachi
Summary: The mortals destroyed the world with nuclear weapons. The gods abandoned the world. Now monsters rule and demigods and mortals alike struggle to survive. But what if there is hope? What if Perseus Jackson can claim the power that the gods left behind and start over, saving the world. This is his journey to find the power that can save the world.
1. Prolouge

Chapter one

The Mortals were fucking idiots. They squabbled and fought over stretches of land that ultimately meant nothing. They were so wrapped up in fighting that they didn't realize they were destroying what they were fighting over. I guess they decided in the end that if they couldn't have it, then no one could. Mutually assured destruction. Turns out Alfred Nobel was right. The mortals dropped their bombs again, and again, and again… until there was nothing left. There are no mortals left now. Well… maybe not no mortals, but very few. The ones that are alive now fight their wars with sticks and stones over cows and sheep.

The gods… they left… once the world turned into a wasteland. The gods decided there was nothing left to rule, and they left. Willingly faded to be judged by lady chaos. Who knows where they are now. The only ones who stayed thrive off of the chaos and destruction. Ares the god of war, hunts mortals and demigods alike. He makes them fight in an arena like gladiators for his own enjoyment. Sometimes against each other and sometimes against horrendous monsters. Monsters that make hellhounds look like Chihuahuas. And with no gods to keep them in check, the monsters run rampant. If anyone is in charge these days it's the monsters. Hellhounds run in packs that number in the hundreds, and telehekines rule the oceans.

And then there's us demigods, besides the monsters, there are more of us than any other being. More of us survived the bombs than any other species. There are two big camps of demigods staying together in "cities". The romans in one camp and the Greeks in the other. When left alone we revert back to our old ways. Us versus them. All that wonderful bullshit. I tried to unite them, but no one gave a shit what I had to say. It didn't matter that I'm Percy Jackson, hero of Olympus. We demigods survived so much together, the war with titans, and with the giants. And with the goddess of earth herself. So of course we survived this too, barely…..

Yes I am Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. And currently alone in the middle of nowhere huddled around a campfire all by myself. The Greeks and the Romans kicked me out when I tried to unite them. They called me a race traitor. It is what it is right?

Percy drew his jacket tighter around him and shivered. The cold seeped down into his very bones. Nothing he did every seemed to shake the cold. Perhaps it was a side effect of all the radiation in the air. The fire was starting to die so Percy tossed another piece of wood into it. He sighed and laid down on his sleeping bag.

"I guess this is my life now…" Percy closed his eyes and sighed again before closing his eyes, falling into a restless sleep.

 **Thanks for reading guys! I just wanted to bust this chapter out real quick to get this idea down. I haven't written anything in a while so don't be too critical. Feel free to leave feedback though. Review and pm me if you want. I'm going to try and write short chapters every day.**


	2. Chapter 1 - The son of Ares

**A/N: Hey everyone it's been a while since I wrote the last chapter. For some reason the past week or so I've been getting a bunch of reviews asking me to continue. I don't think the stories going to go the way I originally intended but we'll see. Thanks to everyone who reviews, it really motivates me to write. Hope you enjoy this chapter and if you have any suggestions let me know. Kiritoandsachi signing out.**

"HYAH!"

Percy awoke surrounded by a dust cloud and the sound of horses circling around him. His demigod senses kicked in and he reached for his sword. A man was standing above him holding a sword, the man stabbed his sword down attempting to impale Percy. Percy rolled to his side while pulling his sword out. In a single motion he cut the man's legs off at the ankles and stood to his feet with a swirl. The man fell to the ground screaming in agony. Another man on a horse rode at Percy with his sword raised. Percy blocked the strike and cut one of the horse's legs off as it passed. The horse smashed into the ground crushing its rider with it.

The man on the ground started to quiet down as he began to bleed out. Percy scooped up the first man's sword and took a stance as the rest of the riders circled him, now extremely wary of his skills. As one the all stopped their horses and dismounted. Those with lances raised them and pointed them towards Percy.

"This is it…. This is where I finally die…" Percy thought. "I survived countless battles only to be taken down by mere bandits". His face hardened as he accepted his impending doom. If he was going to die he'd kill at least half of them. However, the men did not make any moves towards Percy. After a tense pause the only man still on a horse decided to speak up.

"Surrender demigod. You cannot win this battle".

Percy's face hardened even further. "I have never surrendered. I will not start now".

"So you'd rather die than to live and fight another die? That is not heroic, it's idiotic." The man laughed. "You are a great warrior you'll do fine in Are's arena". Percy took a moment to take the man in. Barely a scrap of skin was showing. A scarf covered the entirety of his head and a ragged cloak was draped over his shoulders, hiding the great sword sheathed on his back. Percy thought for a moment.

"How do I know you won't kill me the moment I surrender?" Percy glared at the man.

"My name is Kyros son of Ares, and I swear on the river Styx that I and my men shall not kill you if you surrender". Thunder rumbled in the distance even though the sun was blazing in the sky above the desert and there was not a cloud in sight. Percy looked at the man and lowered his swords.

"Fine I shall surrender." Kyros smirked as the words came out Percy's mouth. Not that Percy or anyone else could see it underneath the scarf.

"I thought you would". Kyros made a motion with his hand and before Percy could react the blunt end of a spear struck the back of his head sending him into unconsciousness.

Percy awoke to being jerked around on the back of a horse, his hands and feet tied. He looked to the left and saw that his horse was being led by Kryos on the back of his massive black warhorse. Its eyes glowed red as it galloped towards what appeared to be a city. Percy and Kryos were at the head of a group of riders, a column of smoke rose behind them as they got closer to the city. Percy decided not to move and to close his eyes and pretend to be asleep. He guessed at what his fate would be… almost certainly death. He had heard stories of Are's arena, and they were not pleasant.

Although he was Perseus Jackson, Savior of Olympus and all mankind. Until they killed themselves that is. He could give whatever was in this blasted arena a run for its money. Ares occasionally let demigods go if they performed well enough. He had met two such demigods. Although the life seemed gone from their eyes, and they were incapable of doing anything but battle. Percy supposed that he wasn't too far from that already so maybe the arena would be fun.

Percy felt the horse under him slow to a walk and eventually stop. He heard the grinding of metal on metal and opened his eyes to see a massive gate opening to let the riders into a city. Trying to get a better look he shifted his weight and opened both eyes. Kryos noticed his actions immediately.

"Ah so the brave demigod is finally awake. Feast your eyes upon the greatest city in the world! The city of Ares!" Percy grunted and looked around. His surroundings were bleak to say the least. No colors except for the grey of the tin sheet metal houses and the brown of the dust that covered everything. The place was surprisingly populated, people walked around in rags; some with collars around their necks and chains on their feet.

"Ah slavery… I guess humans can't get away from that huh…" Percy thought sadly. Although he had hardened over the years some of the old Percy was still inside. The Percy that fought for the weak and whose heart cried out for others. Percy had learned to silence that part of him, and any eyes that crossed his were met with a cold stare.

They Colum of riders headed to the second biggest building in the area. Made of sandstone, it looked like a building straight out of ancient Egypt. Compared the surrounding structures this was seemed like a grand palace fit for kings. Percy supposed that must be where Ares lived.

"I'm taking you to see my father immediately. He'll be happy to have such a warrior in his games." Percy wondered how Ares would react to seeing him. Maybe Ares would kill him immediately… and maybe that wouldn't be so bad… Percy shook his head and cleared it of those thoughts. He would not give up. He would survive this just liked he survived everything else. That's what he told himself at least.

Kryos stopped at the entrance to the building and dismounted his horse. Kryos was a massive man and made a loud "thud" sound when his feet hit the floor. He grabbed Percy and threw him over his shoulder like a child.

Kryos laughed an evil laugh and said "come to my father now."

 **Hope you all enjoyed that! I haven't written anything in a very long time so I'm a little rusty. I should get better as the chapters go on. If you did enjoy feel free to favorite and follow the story. Thanks guys!** **~KiritoAndSachi**


	3. Chapter 2 - Daughter of Zeus

Chapter 2

"Well well well… what do we have here?" Ares sat atop what appeared to be his throne from the Olympian throne room. "If it isn't the little sea brat." Ares frowned "not so little anymore I suppose." Percy just glared at the god. "Not as talkative as you used to be huh." Ares stood up from his throne and walked towards Percy who was kneeling on the floor in front of him.

"There is nothing to say. I've heard of your arena and I know what awaits me. Nothing needs to be said." Ares let some air out through his nose and just looked at Percy who now looked down at the sandy floor."

"You must be pretty lonely, what with all your camper friends having died." Ares waited for a reaction from Percy, but none came. Kryos who stood behind Percy kicked him in the back causing Percy to fall on his face.

"Do not disrespect my father, he is talking to you should answer". Percy struggled back to his knees and spit the dirt out of his mouth.

"Yeah I suppose it gets pretty lonely." Percy growled.

Ares grinned "well I suppose I can help you with that. We are family after all, neither of us have much of that left…" his tone became somber and the fire in his eyes died down a little. "Take him to the dungeon" Ares grunted and walked back to his throne before slowly sitting in it and staring off into the distance.

Kryos looked at his father and sighed quietly to himself in disappointment. "Come on slave" he said as he grabbed Percy by the collar and pulled him up. "Off to the coliseum with you." Kryos dragged Percy outside while Percy got lost in his thoughts.

" _I can help you with that._ What did Ares mean by that? That encounter didn't go at all like I thought it would… Ares seemed almost sad by the events that have taken place. Maybe he has emotions after all. Never saw that coming…" Percy glanced up at that moment to see where Kryos was taking him. They were headed to the only building that was bigger than Ares' palace. "That must be the collessium." Percy wondered how Ares built these structures. It's been a while since the bombs were dropped but surely these would have taken longer than that

Kryos opened a hatch outside the walls of the coliseum that led deep into the ground. The hatch led to a gloomy tunnel with sandstone bricks making up the walls. Torches were placed at strategic points along the wall that allowed just barely enough light to see, but still allowed the place to look like a gloomy dungeon. About 50 feet down the tunnel it split into two directions.

Kryos pointed to left "that way leads to the coliseum you will fight in very soon, and die in." kryos chuckled and led Percy down the path to the right. The ceiling seemed to dip down so that it was barely above Percy's head, Kryos had to duck to even fit in the tunnel. "This way leads to your new home." Percy and Kryos walked the narrow path for several hundred feet before it turned and opened up into what was very obviously a dungeon. Cells lined the walls with a path in the middle to walk. Every cell was full with one or two men. Some missing limbs others just missing digits, all of them looking dejected and defeated. They had all accepted their fate, Percy's eyes narrowed; that was not something that he would do. He glared at any who met his eyes as if to show his distaste for those in the cages.

At the end of the room was a single door. "This is the suite, if you need another towel or anything let me know." Kryos laughed while taking out a knife on his belt, he then cut persons bonds and opened the door. "Enjoy your stay" he said before shoving Percy in. as the door closed almost all light left the room, the only light that got in was a little slit in the middle of the door. So jailors can peer in Percy assumed.

Percy stood looking at the slit of light and clenched his fists cursing his current situation. He decided however, that there was nothing he could and decided to take stock of "the suite". He allowed his eyes a few minutes to adjust to the extreme low light and looked around the room. It was actually fairly large for a jail cell. Twenty feet by ten feet he guessed. In the corner closest to the door was a hole in which a foul smell emanated, he guessed that was the bathroom. In another corner was a slab of rock "looks comfortable" he thought sarcastically. And in the final corner was… a figure hunched into a ball looking at the wall. Percy gasped when he noticed "they didn't tell me I'd have to share" he thought in mock anger.

"Hello?" Percy called out to what he hoped was a fellow human. The figure didn't make a sound or even move. "Crap they wouldn't put me in here with a dead body would they". Percy approached the figure and reached out to try and shake them. The second his hand touched it, it moved lighting fast and twisted Percy's arm before sweeping his legs from under him and pinning him to the ground. Percy's face was in the dirt and his arm was twisted painfully behind his back.

"I already told Kryos I would not allow anyone to touch me, yet he is stupid enough to send someone else to do it. He must not care about your life." A female voice growled above Percy. Percy tried to move but she was insanely strong and he couldn't move at all. He finally managed to lift his face up enough to speak.

"Wait you'bve got it wong! Ima prishona just like you!" Percy managed to say with a face full of dirt. The girl let up a bit to let him talk easier but kept her knee in his back and his arm twisted.

"Why would they put you in here with me? I've been here for a long time now and they have never done that. Why now?" She asked him. Percy's eyes widened.

"Wait that voice sounds familiar!" he thought. He decided to tap into his demi-god powers and exerted his full strength. She had leaned in when talking and he suddenly shot his head back hitting her in the nose. Her grip loosened and he ripped his arm away from her. Her hand shot up to staunch the blood coming from her nose. He flipped them around and sat on top of her pinning her arms to the ground.

She struggled but couldn't shake Percy's strong grip. "Now are you willing to listen to me?" Percy asked nicely.

"Fine" she harrumphed. Percy quickly stood up and let go of her, but still stood in a fighting stance. She got up off the ground and sat on the rocky slab.

"I'm Percy, nice to meet you. What's your name?" the girl gasped

"Thalia… Thalia grace" she said quietly.


	4. Chapter 3 - Stronger Together

"Thalia Grace…?" Percy said quietly. "It can't be, everyone I know is dead".

"Well I'm not dead Kelp Head." Thalia looked at Percy with a grin even though he couldn't see it in the darkness of the cell.

"But… how? Weren't you at camp half-blood when the bomb dropped on New York City?"

"No… I was on Olympus training with my father. I saw the blast from all the way up there… I never realized how truly high up Olympus was until I saw the mushroom cloud below it."

Percy looked at the ground in anger and plopped down next to Thalia on the stone. "I was also training with my father. I heard the blast all the way from Atlantis. It shook the entire palace. I tried to go towards it but father wouldn't let me. He knew the radiation would have killed me."

"Everyone on Olympus flashed out immediately after it dropped. I don't know how they didn't see it coming."

"Perhaps the gods were not as strong as they would have liked everyone to believe. After all I did manage to fight a few of them one on one." Percy grinned for a second, although his smile faltered when he once again remembered all that he had lost. A pleasant silence persisted for a minute between the two, after a while Thalia reached over and held Percy's hand. Percy looked at her and smiled sadly.

"We have each other again Percy, I know we had our differences in the past. But… you're all I have now." Tears welled up in Thalia's eyes and she leaned into Percy's shoulder. "Please don't die in the arena. We're all that's left of the old world." Percy wrapped Thalia in a hug and comforted her.

"I won't die, in fact I'll do you one better than that. Not only will I not die, but I'll get us out of here. I promise." They looked each other in the eye, the sliver of light in the cell allowed Percy to see the glimmer of hope that had appeared in Thalia's eyes. He decided then and there that he would do whatever it took to fulfill that promise and keep her safe. Thalia sighed and held on to Percy, they both decided they were tired and laid down on the slab of rock. After reminiscing quietly about the old times for a little while they fell asleep in a friendly embrace.

Percy awoke to the door of the cell creaking open and light rushing into the room. Kryos stood silhouetted against the light outside the room, he had two lengths of rope in his hands. "Am I going to have to tie you up or will you come easily."

Percy quickly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes quickly and sat up. "I'll come…"

"Fuck you Kryos!" Thalia interrupted Percy as she also sat up. Kryos glared at her and started towards her with the rope. Thalia tensed up ready to fight.

"Wait! No need for that, we'll come without a fight." Percy grabbed Thalia and got a good look at her for the first time since they reconnected the previous night. Her hair at grown a lot since the last time he saw her. Her curls reached past her shoulders, and framed her face perfectly. Her face was bruised and battered, her lip busted, and bruises and cuts covered a good portion of her exposed skin. The sleeves of her hood were ripped at the shoulder, and the bottom dragged the ground ripping becoming dirty. Over all she looked like shit. "Yet still incredibly beautiful" Percy thought in the back of his mind.

"C'mon Thals lets just go, I won't let anything happen." Thalia's bright blue eyes met Percy's sea green ones and she relaxed.

"Alright…" she grabbed precis hand and they walked towards Kryos together.

He chuckled "how sweet". Kryos led them out of the prison flanked on each side by 3 guards with spears and Greek armor.

"Where are we going?" Percy asked even though he already knew the answer.

"That room isn't cheap you know." Percy scoffed "you have to earn your keep in the arena. Today will be your first fight." They walked down the path for a few minutes before arriving at a door. The guards all lowered their spears and pointed them towards the pair. One guard pulled out a sword and handed it to Percy along with his shield. Another handed Thalia his spear and shield.

"These are the weapons you'll fight with." He began to walk away but stopped after a few feet. "You better not die sea spawn, I looked forward to killing you myself." He started walking away again whistling to himself. The guards opened the door and the two demigods walked into a massive stadium that held tens of thousands of seats. All of which were completely empty, all except one. In which Are's sat looking angry and gruff as usual. He stood up and yelled to the demigods.

"Welcome to my arena! Here are the rules… rule number one, there are no rules. Anything and everything is accepted. You can even choose not to fight. Do that however, and you will die. If you fight and fight well, if you're fighting please me; it could win you your freedom. That is the only way out of this place. Fight!" Ares snapped his fingers and monsters began to flood out of doors at the sides of the arena. Thalia and Percy looked at each other and nodded, deciding to fight.

Once a small army of monsters and men had entered the arena they stood in a semicircle about 40 feet from the demigods. The monsters and the demigods just looked at each other for a few minutes in their fighting stances. Percy decided that he was tired of waiting and charged towards the monsters quietly with a smile on his face. The monsters got in a formation, shields locked together in the front forming a wall. Spears poking out ready to stab Percy and Thalia, more behind them with swords ready to charge forward.

Right before Percy came in range of the spears he leaped directly over the wall and behind the swordsmen. Percy stabbed a telkhine in the back of the neck before it even managed to turn around. He pushed through the monster dust and bashed another one in the face with his shield. It reeled back running into the monster behind him. A dracaenae to his left tried to decapitate Percy with a sweeping strike, but Percy managed to duck under it and jabbed his sword into its stomach; causing it to poof into dust. A hellhound jumped at Percy from behind, he heard it growl so he spun around throwing his shield and slicing the hellhound in half midair.

"He is the one… I'll be able to go see my family soon." Ares thought as he watched the battle

Thalia just watched in awe as Percy mowed through the small army of monsters. A hellhound lunged at her, snapping her out of her reverie. She shoved her spear into its mouth killing it with a whimper. Two swordsmen ran towards her thinking her to be an easier target than the male demigod. Thalia yelled and flung her spear into the chest of the closest one. He continued running for a few steps before his body realized he had died and he fell to the ground, his body only a ragdoll. The next swordsman reached Thalia and swung his sword at her in a horizontal slash. She raised her shield and the sword hit it with a clang. The man was relentless in his assault, barraging Thalia with strikes. Each one she managed to block, hiding behind the large shield. Sparks flew each time the sword clashed with the shield. Thalia fell back losing ground to the swordsman. The swordsman put all of his strength into his next hit and Thalia thrust her shield out to meet his strike. His sword bounced off the shield staggering him. Seeing her opportunity Thalia bashed him in the head with the front of her shield. He fell to the ground dazed, Thalia then raised her shield above his head and brought it down hard and fast. His throat was crushed and he died instantly. Thalia screamed and brought her shield down on the man's neck over and over until his head was disconnected from his body. Thalia fell to her knees exhausted and sobbing, blood covered the front of her shield and legs.

Percy walked over to Thalia, behind him were piles of monster dust and the bodies of Ares' men. It looked as if the floor had been painted gold and red. Percy knelt next to Thalia and placed his hand on her shoulder, she jerked at the contact but settled down when she saw who it was. Percy softly rubbed her back and comforted her.

"Hey it's over we're okay. We made it." Percy said softly.

A distant clapping could then be heard from the direction of Ares. "Well done! Now that is what I call a battle!" Ares let out a hearty laugh. Percy glared in his direction.

"So do we get our freedom?" He shouted at Ares. Ares chuckled.

"No… not quite yet. You are well on your way though. I'll have something nice waiting for you in your cell." Ares then got up "You can find your own way there. Do not try and escape." Ares walked down a set of stairs and out of sight. The door the demigods came in opened on its own.

Percy looked Thalia in the eye "we'll be out of here soon. I promise."


	5. Chapter 4- Friendship

**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you are enjoying the story thus far. I'm working on an update schedule right and I'm hoping to have at least one chapter a week. If you have any suggestions or comments feel free to leave a review or pm me.**

 **To vcghost: Sorry dude probably won't have any lemons in my story, and if I do they'll be pretty mild.**

 **On to the story!**

The walk back to the cell took about 15 minutes. Percy figured the underground cells must actually be decently far from the arena, and not right under it. The path did not diverge at any point. One path to the arena, one to the cells, and one leading to outside. Torches flickered about every 15 feet, allowing for decent visibility. This allowed Percy to admire Thalia as they walked, he hadn't seen her in a year and it was amazingly good to see a familiar face. Thalia glanced over noticing Percy staring at her and grinned.

"Like what you see?" Thalia put a little bounce in her step. Percy blushed and grinned along with her.

"Well despite being underground this is probably the best view I've had in the past year." Thalia mock shoved Percy and they both laughed. A sound that hadn't come from either of them in a while. The pair looked like a scene from a renaissance painting. Both covered in blood, dust, and sweat; walking along laughing with swords in their hands. Had anyone seen the two they probably would have thought the demigods were insane.

The rest of the walk back to the prison area was pleasantly silent. The two demigods just relished being in familiar company. As they turned the corner to the cells they saw 6 guards posted outside of their cell. One stepped forward and lowered his spear.

"Drop your weapons and enter the cell, or else…" the guard looked somewhat timid and did not speak with confidence. Percy glared at the man and raised his sword. The rest of the guards stepped forward with their weapons raised shakily. The sea spawn knew he could kill all these men easily, he could probably even escape and get out of the city. Something was up though, something with Ares. Ares was nothing like Percy remembered. Although no one really would be after all this… Percy decided to stay for a while longer and see what was going on. So he lowered his weapon and dropped it, Thalia followed suit. The guards all sighed in relief and quickly shuffled the two demigods into the cell, locking the door behind them.

"Looks like another night in huh" Percy said trying to lighten the mood in the dark cell.

"You can't see me, but I'm glaring at you". Percy chuckled at her comment. He then sat down on the slab with his back against the wall.

"Thals… you've been here longer. Have you noticed anything strange about Ares?" She sat next to him and breathed some air through her nose quickly.

"You mean besides his usual douche baggery?" Percy nodded and Thalia took a moment to think. "ya know… I do feel that Ares isn't really into all this. It almost feels like he's doing it because he has too, but Ares doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do." Percy nodded along with what Thalia said.

"Yeah I've observed that too… I have no idea why that may be though…" Percy scratched his chin for a moment. "Oh well though no point in dwelling on it, I guess we'll find out sooner or later right?" Thalia nodded.

"You couldn't see but I nodded." Thalia said cheekily.

"You don't have to narrate every action ya know."

"I know, but its fun." Percy chuckled and the pair sat in silence for a good long while. Both lost in their thoughts. They sat close to one another with their legs touching, like close friends.

"You kind of stink Perce." Thalia waved her hand in front of her nose. Percy looked down at himself.

"Well I am covered in blood and monster dust." He sighed "does Ares allow showers or is that off limits?"

"He lets me out randomly to do different stuff, like shower and I guess you could call it yard time. You start to lose all track of time down here though… so I don't know when it could be."

"Hmm… reminds me of back in the day when we were on quests." Percy laughed

"I'm pretty sure I never took a single shower during any of those." Thalia chuckled

"Oh I took plenty, somehow I was always getting doused in water! I even found some mold in my shoes at the end of a quest once." They both laughed once again and fell into another silence for a while. Thalia then suddenly hugged Percy.

"Thank you Percy, really."

"For what?"

"I haven't laughed this much since the bombs dropped. Probably even a while before that even…"

"Yeah same... so thank you too I guess." The pair smiled at each other. They continued to talk for the rest of the day. Doing some more catching up and some of their experiences since they saw each other last. A guard brought in food twice during their talk. Outside in the world the sun fell below the horizon and the moon came out. Ares sat on his "throne" tapping his fingers against the armrest.

"KRYOS!" Ares shouted and waited for his son to appear. He could not wait any longer, he had hoped to watch Jackson for a little longer. However the urge to see his family once again was too strong. They were all in the realm of the faded, and he had taken them all for granted when they were alive. He didn't realize how much he actually needed them, and he underestimate how poorly he would do without them. So he set up this arena, to test fighters and see if any of them were worthy of being the god of war. He couldn't do what most of his family had done. Just leave the world and their domains behind. War was too great a domain to be left unchecked, someone had to monitor it. Ares decided that person would be Jackson. He grit his teeth remembering the time that Jackson beat him when he was only 12 years old. Ares hated the son of the sea god, but he had to give it to him; he as good.

Kayos appeared before his father and bowed. "What do you need?" he asked

"Bring me Jackson, its time."

 **A/N sorry guys another filler. No action in this one but the next chapter will have plenty. You guys can probably see what's coming. Hope you enjoyed, and as usual don't forget to favorite and review. Thanks guys!**


	6. Chapter 5 - God of War

****Hello everyone! It**** **'** ** **s been a while huh? Life took over and the urge to write pretty much completely left me. I moved to Tennessee for a while and had family problems after that. I**** **'** ** **ve recently moved to china and i have a decent amount of time just sitting in front of a computer at my job. I**** **'** ** **ve been reading a lot fanfiction. So i decided to log into my account and i eventually found the reviews for this story. Someone left an angry review. I wouldn**** **'** ** **t call it scathing, but it was certainly far from complimentary. So out of sheer spite i decided to write again. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.****

Chapter 5- God of War

Percy and Thalia were awoken by a loud banging on their cell door, and a horrendous screech as the metal dragged against the ground while being opened. A sight that was quickly becoming familiar greeted their faces. It was that of Kryos' smirking face and a squad of guards at his back. The pair of demigod blinked the sleep out of their eyes and looked at the god with different expressions on their faces. Percy face having one of excitement on it for what was surely going to be another battle. Thalia's face having one of fear for the same battle. The intense environment they had been in since the bombs and even before that had created two wildly different personalities. Percy loved combat, and he was good at it. One of the best in the world. Although now a smaller pool of warriors to compare too. Thalia on the other hand had gone in the complete other direction. She loathed fighting, and although she was a capable warrior she preferred not to fight. Having become something of a pacifist. Although she wouldn't allow someone to kill her should her life be on the line.

Kryos did not greet them with his usual enthusiasm and snarky comments. He glared at them angrily with no amusement in his face. Almost as if he envied them and was jealous of them. Imagine a god being jealous of two jailed mortals.

"come on. My father wishes to speak with you." he motioned with his hand and almost wearily lead them out of the prison area.

"are we going to be fighting again?" Thalia spoke trying not to let the fear show through her words.

"I suppose you'll be finding out soon enough won't you. No more questions I don't want to speak to either of you." He said bitterly. Thalia closed her mouth upon opening it, deciding not to speak. Percy looked at Kryos quizzically, seeming puzzled at his change in attitude and personality. The group composed of Kryos, Percy, Thalia, and the guards made their way to Ares' throne room in silence. Once they exited the tunnels the pair of demigods took big breathes of fresh air since the air in the tunnels was not the best.

They were also able to see that the moon was high in the sky, and it was full and bright. The sun's light reflecting off of it and casting a dim glow over the earth. Allowing the group to see almost perfectly in the middle of the night. Thalia looked up and admired the night sky. She had always felt at home in the sky and had always admired it's beauty. Without light pollution thousands upon thousands of stars were visible, and they twinkled brilliantly. Comets streaked through the sky and the rings of the galaxy could be seen in astounding purple and red colors. Thalia was so transfixed by the sky that she had not been paying attention to where she was going and thus tripped and fell flat on her face. Thalias fall broke the tension in the air and percy burst out laughing, before realizing he should check on his friend.

"Are you okay Thals?" he said while trying to suppress his laughter

"Stop laughing you asshole. That actually kinda hurt." Thalia grumbled and rubbed her face, but Percy couldn't stop the laughter.

"The mighty Thalia, slayer of many monsters taken out by a small rock." Percy held his stomach as he laughed and Thalia had an annoyed look on her face, but even she couldn't help but to grin a little bit. Even the bitter Kryos had a Small smile on his face. Although his smile was more in enjoyment that Thalia had been hurt.

"shut up and keep walking, we're almost there." Kryos' smile left his face quickly as he barked his order. The smiles of the demigods also left quickly and they remembered where they were and were they were going. Tension once again filled the air. They quickly reached Ares' palace and entered into the throne room. Upon their entry they could see Ares in his throne, who had not seen their entrance because he was lost in thought. A small smile graced his lips, and the god of war looked more peaceful than anyone in the room had ever seen. The fire that constantly burned in his eyes was now only embers. Despite the dying fire in his eyes Ares looked content.

The group stood for several minutes awkwardly waiting for Ares to acknowledge them. After several minutes passed by and they still had not been acknowledged Percy cleared his throat loudly. This seemed to snap the god out of it and he lazily looked towards the demigods and kryos. He gave Percy a quick look up and down taking note of the man and a resolved look came upon his face.

"Everyone except Percy leave the room" he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear him, but not with the same ferocity that the god had been known for. The guards that accompanied The god and two demigods, along with all the guards in the room immediately filed out. Two of them grabbed Thalia by the arms and dragged her out Aswan. No one spoke a word. As Thalia was taken out of the room she gave a worried look back at Percy. Kayos made no move to leave.

"you too kryos" Ares told his son impatiently

"But Fa-"

"NOW!" The ferocity returned to his voice and the flames exploded in his eyes. Kryos quickly bowed and left the room. Now the only people left were Ares and Percy. Percy looked at the god with questions in his eyes.

"Percy..." the god started and sighed. "Almost all my family is gone. Willingly faded and left their domains behind. You mortals truly destroyed this world for them to have done that." A small smile came upon Ares' lips almost as if destruction at that scale pleased him. "I stayed, and i thought... i thought life without them would be great. No one to answer to, no one to bother me. I could do what i pleased and no one would say a word otherwise." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Percy had a look on his face as if to say "and why are you telling this to me?"

Aries continued "And I couldn't leave the domain of war without someone to watch it. People think i only start wars, which i do. But i also stopped many wars. Unnecessarily ones, ones that would bring about too much destruction and leave the gods with nothing to rule. Although that ended up happening anyway. My domain did not sense the nukes coming, as they weren't really war... That bastard Hades must have known something big was coming, and yet he said nothing." Percy stayed silent allowing Ares to talk.

"Now Percy, more than ever you must see why it is important to stop those kinds of wars. They would destroy all that's left of humanity. And while I hate them, I have also come to appreciate them. Their minds and desires are not so different from us gods." Percy now decided to interject his thoughts

"And uhhh... why are you telling me this?"

"because I want to join my family Percy, and I want you to take over my domain as the god of war when i do." Percy gasped at this, his eyes wide as saucers.

" but why me? Why not your son Kryos, or one of your many other children.?" Ares looked as if he expected this question from Percy.

"None of my remaining demigod children would be strong enough, nor would they be able to do what needs to be done. And Kryos... Kryos is an entitled and spoilt child. Aphrodite spoiled him. He wants the power too much, and has done nothing to deserve it. You however... don't want this power and you know of your actions, I need not speak of them." Percy stood in awe, unable to process what Ares was telling him.

"Well, what do you say Percy?" The god asked the man in front of him. Percy pinched himself to see if he was dreaming and shook his head quickly to come to terms with what was happening. He hesitated for a second to think about something before giving his reply.

"well... yes of course. I'd have to be the stupidest person ever to say no to godhood yet again. And it sounds like someone has to do this job" Ares chuckled at that.

"you have more than earned it Percy."

"So when do we do this Ares?"

"Now" Aries said and Percy sputtered.

"Now?"

"Yes. Now, but there is one more thing i must tell you. I saw you hesitate, and you were thinking of Thalia weren't you?" Percy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and nodded. "Many gods left their domains behind. They are simply waiting to be claimed". Percy eyes widened in realization and went to speak again, but Ares closed his eyes and every muscle in his body tensed. A golden light shot out of Ares' chest, as bright as the sun, but wispy like a ghost. It twirled and danced around the room, before circling around Percy. It started at his feet and started spinning around the demigod faster and faster as it got closer to his head.

A supernatural force lifted Percy from the ground and the light continued to spin around his body. Now cocooning him like a butterfly. All the while Ares not moving a single muscle. The light began to get sucked into Percy chest and as it soon as it entered his chest he let out a scream of pain. It felt as though every atom and molecule in his body was on fire. And as if lava was flowing through his veins. At the sound of his horrendous screams everyone that had left the room rushed back in and gaped at the sight before them.

The light continued to get sucked into Percy until all the light surrounding him was gone. As soon as it all dissapeared he fell to the ground with a "Thump". Ares still in the same position as he was when the process started. His eyes now though were lifeless and devoid of any fire or emotions. His body began turning Grey as if he were turning to stone. It then began to crack and split, and a nonexistent wind blew him away. His body was compacted ashes not stone. The ashes floated towards the window and eventually rose into the sky towards the stars. In a few minutes Ares was no more, he was now standing in front of lady Chaos ready to be judged.

Percys body glowed as if it were radioactive. He was completely unconscious, and as soon as Thalia stopped marveling at Ares death she rushed over to Percy. She tried to touch him but she was burned as if she was reaching into a blazing fire.

"Percy, please be okay." Thalia thought.

 ** **And there it is. My first chapter after a very long absence. Hope you all enjoyed. If you have any suggestions please let me know. And to that guy who didn**** **'** ** **t like my story hope you enjoy this most of all. Also fuck you. I just banged this out in two hours at work so it**** **'** ** **s probably not very good. I also may or may not keep updating, but if i do my writing will get better. Thanks all have a nice day. Also if you would like to beta future chapters send me a pm.****


End file.
